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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28128501">Friends with Benefits never work</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnniereadsStuff/pseuds/AnniereadsStuff'>AnniereadsStuff</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Writing something everyday [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Piece</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Friends With Benefits, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Lesbian Nami (One Piece), M/M, Nami tries to help, Pining, Pining Roronoa Zoro, Roronoa Zoro is Bad At Feelings, but they are trying their best, they are all idiots</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 01:01:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,488</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28128501</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnniereadsStuff/pseuds/AnniereadsStuff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zoro and Sanji have been in a friends-with-benefits arrangement for a while. The relationship is turned in its head when Nami finds out. </p><p> </p><p>Alternatively, Nami tries to get Zoro and Sanji to admit their feelings, but Zoro is as dense as a rock when it comes to those.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Writing something everyday [8]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2050545</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>121</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>His relationship with Sanji has always been a bit weird. Zoro wasn’t really the sentimental guy, with any of his friends. But with Sanji, people always thought that those two hated each other. They didn’t, they just had a lot of contra-acting opinions on a lot of minor topics. They usually agreed on the bigger issues, tho. (They argued on whether or not a woman should be capable of changing her own car battery, they agreed black lives matter. Stuff like that.) They also both possessed an incredible amount of pride and were willing to fight for it. Sometimes literally.</p><p> </p><p>Strangers wondered why they even bothered to spend time with each other. Their friends knew that most of their quarrels were a strange way of expressing respect to each other.</p><p> </p><p>So, really, his relationship with Sanji has always had a special distinction from his relationship with his other friends. Still, throwing sex into the mix with that wasn’t exactly a natural progression. Zoro wasn’t even sure how it happened. They went to his apartment after movie night, because Sanji had wanted to pick something up, before going home. And they were arguing, like usual. But then, suddenly, they were kissing and urgently undressing each other, stumbling into Zoro’s bedroom and then onto his bed. It was all a blur in Zoro’s mind. He hadn’t even had alcohol, that night.</p><p> </p><p>But somehow, after this first instance, they agreed it could happen again. Sanji had made some rules - the nerd had actually written them down, too.</p><p> </p><p>Number 1, This was strictly platonic, no romantic feelings allowed.</p><p>Number 2, None of their friends were allowed to know about this.</p><p>Number 3, Outside of the bedroom, they behaved like usual.</p><p>Number 4, They could still flirt with other people.</p><p>Number 5, Either one was allowed to end it, anytime, without giving a good reason for it.</p><p> </p><p>And the list went on. For way longer than Zoro ever had the capacity to concentrate, so he just agreed to what Sanji said. No need, to make something this easy so complicated. Also, rule number 2 had been broken already. At least Robin knew. She had caught them once, lying naked in Zoro’s bed in a pretty explicit position. And where Sanji had fallen in a panic („She’s gonna tell them, they’ll never believe us.“), Zoro just shrugged it off. They were all adults, they all knew how a friends with benefits relationship worked. Except maybe Luffy, but Luffy would accept this anyway. Zoro had been more concerned about how Robin had gotten the key to his apartment. (He should later find out that Nami was to blame for this.)</p><p> </p><p>Also, Zoro had failed, pretty spectacularly if he might say so himself, at rule number 1. Not that he would ever say as much to Sanji.</p><p> </p><p>So, all in all, their situation was a bit complicated.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>„So, what’s new with you?“, Nami asked, reaching for the glasses of beer the waiter just brought them - for which she uncharacteristically had paid without even trying to hustle - and offered one to him. Zoro felt very uncomfortable in this entire situation. But he also never turned down free beer, so he took it and placed it carefully down on the table.</p><p> </p><p>„What do you want? You never go bar hopping with me“, he accused and it was true, even though it was mostly because Nami preferred other company. Men, that would pay for her, for example. Or pretty women. Zoro was neither of these. So while he and Nami were pretty good friends - she was like the annoying little sister he never asked for, but got anyway - they usually didn’t go bar hopping together. He was roped into carrying Nami’s shopping bags, semi-regularly.</p><p> </p><p>„Can’t I just want to spend time with you?“, Nami asked, putting her palm over her heart, pretending his words had hurt her. It would’ve worked wonders on Sanji, but it didn’t do shit for Zoro. He knew Nami to well for that.</p><p> </p><p>„I might have bought wanting to spend time, but paying for drinks? No way, you’re after something.“</p><p> </p><p>Nami heaved a dramatic sigh, making a show of looking around the bar, which their little group favored. They even got the corner seat, from which you could watch everyone in the bar. It was also right next to the pool table, which was usually the reason Luffy, Usopp and Franky insisted on it.</p><p> </p><p>„All right, you caught me“, Nami said finally, after it became apparent that she couldn’t stall for time anymore, „I wondered what was going on between you and Sanji.“ Instead of answering, Zoro considered if he could drown his entire drink in one go and then make a run for it. He probably could, Nami wasn’t the fastest runner under normal circumstances and she wore heels for the little outing that night. But Nami knew where he lived, and worked and all the other good spots to go to, if you were looking for him. He could run from her, but he couldn’t hide. The only thing he would accomplish with a stunt like that would be to annoy Nami. Annoyed Nami was the last thing he needed.</p><p> </p><p>„Nothing much, really“, he decided to lie instead, hoping she wouldn’t catch on. She did of course. Robin probably had told her everything, even though Sanji had made her promise she wouldn’t.</p><p> </p><p>„Liar“, Nami accused and banged one of her closed fists on the table. Thank goodness the bar was mostly empty still, or else they would have been the entertainment of the evening. „If you don’t tell me, I’ll have you pay back all the money you borrowed from me, since high school. With interest!“ And something entirely too stupid in Zoro wanted to argue, that she couldn’t possibly know what kind of sum they were talking about. But this was Nami, so of course she knew. Zoro only knew he would have to live off of water and bread for years if she wanted all of it back now.</p><p> </p><p>„Alright, alright. You win witch“, he gave in, because arguing with Nami was redundant anyway, „we are in this sort of friends-with-benefits relationship. Happy now?“</p><p> </p><p>But Nami didn’t seem happy at all. She seemed more, like she finally lost hope for both of them, and quite possibly in men in general. She also looked like she wanted to hit Zoro in the head, so he prepared to evade her, should she lunge at him over the table. One could never be too careful when trying to predict what Nami would do next.</p><p> </p><p>„You’ve got to be kidding me“, she said, sounding accusing and Zoro wasn’t sure what she had wanted to hear. Only that he told her something she didn’t like. „After all those years we had to suffer from the sexual tension between you two, you <em>finally</em> hook up and then you don’t commit. You are the worst kind of cowards.“ </p><p> </p><p>Nami seemed like she wanted to strangle him, but her words acting like a sucker punch to Zoro’s gut worked too. He wasn’t a coward, first and foremost. Hooking up without committing was something a lot of people did, all the time. And there had never been any sexual tension between Sanji and Zoro, ever. Nami just didn’t know what she was talking about.</p><p> </p><p>„You’re hallucinating. There isn’t ‚sexual tension‘“, he did make air quotes, to drive home just how ridiculous that claim was, „between anyone in the group.“</p><p> </p><p>„Oh Zoro“, Nami said, using that fake pity in her tone that was reserved purely for when she was about to look down on Zoro for something, „Oh stupid, dense, inexperienced Zoro. You might not have felt the tension, but be assured it was there. Sometimes it felt like we were suffocating from it.“ If Nami didn’t work in the fashion industry, she would have made a great actress, too.</p><p> </p><p>„You’re imagining shit. There was no sexual tension between me and someone else ever!“</p><p> </p><p>„You think Sanji would just fuck anyone?“, Nami implored, using a tone as if Zoro was stupid.</p><p> </p><p>„I think he wouldn’t make rules, if there were feelings!“, Zoro argued back, having enough of this. Good to know that Robin and Nami knew about his feelings - stupid unrequited feeling he never should have caught in the first place - but mocking him for it went too far. No matter how close their friendship was.</p><p> </p><p>„There are rules?“, Nami questioned, sounding honestly surprised and Zoro was considering, for just a moment, to show her the PDF with the rules Sanji had sent, after their first time together.</p><p> </p><p>„Yes, there are rules. Way too many for me to remember them all.“</p><p> </p><p>„Good, Sanji is so bad at coping. That self-destructing bastard“, Nami muttered, very clearly ignoring Zoro trying to signal to her to elaborate. Instead she seemed to think about something for a really long time, before abruptly jumping up, leaving some extra bills on the table and excusing herself without giving Zoro an explanation at all. Looking at the money she left, Zoro decided to have another drink, before he would start mulling over anything that just happened.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Two days later, he got a message from Sanji that wasn’t so much unlike other messages they’ve had in the past</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Tonight at mine? Around 8? Could deal with letting off some steam</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Zoro shot back a quick answer, before going back to work. It didn’t matter what Nami said, if that was all he could get from Sanji, he would take it. His emotional needs have never been too overwhelming anyway.</p><p> </p><p>After work, he made a quick stop at his apartment to drop off his stuff, shower and change into cleaner clothes, before he made his way to Sanji. Sanji never appreciated it, when he still smelt like sweat, even though Zoro was never bothered if Sanji still smelt like the food he had made that day. It was another imbalance in their relationship, that Zoro would just have to even out quietly. He didn’t need anything to change, after all.</p><p> </p><p>When he arrived at the door, he pulled Sanji into a kiss, right when he opened it. Only to be shot down, by Sanji pressing his hands against Zoro’s biceps and pushing him away.</p><p> </p><p>„What’s wrong?“, Zoro asked, trying to get close again, only to have Sanji take another step backwards.</p><p> </p><p>„Let’s not do that. I think there is something to talk about“, Sanji said, awfully understanding and quiet and something dawned on Zoro. This was where Nami had vanished to, after she left the bar so hastily. Even worse, Sanji knew. He knew and he wanted to talk about it. He would end their arrangement, and their friendship and Zoro could never show his face around Sanji ever again. He couldn’t stand that</p><p> </p><p>So, before Sanji had the chance to say anything, Zoro ran. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Please, we need to talk</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Sanji had sent that message exactly ten minutes after Zoro had stormed out of his apartment. That was a month ago by now. After Zoro left the building with Sanji’s apartment in it, he ran straight home, locked himself into his apartment and didn’t leave it for two days. He even called in sick to work, sent Luffy to voicemail when he called and ignored Nami, when she had furiously banged on his door, demanding answers.</p><p> </p><p>On the third day, he decided he can’t hide from everything forever, so he went to work, called back Luffy to apologize for being absent and sent one last text to Sanji, before blocking him.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>There is nothing to talk about.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Nami had been on his doorstep fifteens minutes after the text was marked as read and had screamed more profanities than Zoro had ever heard in his entire life before. He blocked her out after the first ten minutes of screaming, let her get it out of her system and then told her he was very sorry she felt about it like that, before shutting the door in her face. That didn’t stop Nami though. Instead she just called him to complain about that, too. And then threatened him, that she would actually break his door down, if he had the nerve to block her, too. Zoro didn’t think Nami possessed the physical capabilities for that, but he wasn’t willing to test it.</p><p> </p><p>So, he was missing the big group gatherings in order to avoid Sanji. He did have Luffy, Usopp and even Franky over for the occasional game night, Nami stood at his door trying to get answers out of him once a week and even Robin and Chopper came over once. Robin had invited herself to tea, but contrary to Zoro’s expectation, she hasn’t lost a word about him and Sanji, so he just let her. All in all, the only thing he hasn’t really seen in a while was the bar. And Sanji’s face.</p><p> </p><p>It was manageable. He could live his life like that.</p><p> </p><p>It surely was better than having Sanji, without really having Sanji, at least. The clear cut was good for him and Sanji would be able to move on. It would be easier for Sanji than it was for Zoro, because Sanji didn’t have nasty feelings to get rid of first.</p><p> </p><p>It hurt to think about it like that.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>„You know what I’m missing?“, Luffy asked, both hands on his controller, not looking away from the TV for a second. How he had the capacity to concentrate on their current match and think about something else entirely would always be a mystery to Zoro. And the cause of a headache for Usopp.</p><p> </p><p>„Not now, we’re this close to winning“, Usopp answered pressed, as if he was in actual physical strain. Maybe he was, their opponents were decent enough. Nothing the four of them couldn’t manage, but better than the last ones they had, for sure. Zoro was surely enjoying the challenge and Luffy was too, if his giggles were anything to go by.</p><p> </p><p>They did win, in the end but by a scratch, because Luffy started arguing with Usopp, that he could play a game and think about something else, just fine. Usopp never argued against that, just said that he himself couldn’t play and talk at once. Somehow Luffy thought this was funny, too.</p><p> </p><p>„What are you missing?“, Franky asked, to get the two out of their argument and Zoro went to the fridge to get himself a new beer.</p><p> </p><p>„Sanji’s food. Playing and eating Sanji’s food were always the best evenings“, Luffy proclaimed and Zoro almost lost his grip on his bottle. Good thing he was still in the kitchen or the others would have seen that.</p><p> </p><p>„Are you stupid? You can just say this near Zoro“, Usopp whisper-yelled, probably hoping Zoro wouldn’t hear him. Too bad the walls in his apartment were paper-thin. So, Usopp knew. Then it was safe to assume that Franky and Brook knew, too. Damn Nami.</p><p> </p><p>„Oh right“, Luffy spoke, sounding way more panicled than the situation called for, „I forgot. You think he heard us?“ There was his way out of this. If he just came back, pretending nothing had happened, he could avoid this entire uncomfortable situation. So, as a distraction he grabbed his phone and opened the Delivery app, before walking back into his living room.</p><p> </p><p>„Hey guys, I’m a bit hungry, you wanna order something?“</p><p> </p><p>As expected Luffy took it without a second thought. Usopp looked at him slightly skeptical before reluctantly and only Franky seemed to be really suspicious, but he didn’t say anything either. So they ordered their usual, way too big for four people order and Luffy basically inhaled half of the food himself. Usopp and Franky ate more like real people did, Zoro’s beer stash took a big hit and no one thought about mentioning Sanji again.</p><p> </p><p>Only when they went to go home, did Franky stay behind to tell Zoro that it is okay, if he didn’t want to talk about it yet, but Franky knew for a fact, that his walls were thin enough to hear everything. Zoro deliberately did not invite Franky to the next game night.</p><p> </p><p>Franky didn’t seem too mad about it.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p>„Is it Thursday already?“, Zoro asked, when he opened his apartment door to go to work and was instead greeted by Nami standing in front of it. Something which has become his normal routine on Thursdays in the past two months. Zoro could have sworn it was Tuesday though.</p><p> </p><p>„It isn’t!“, Nami informed him, still sounding less than amused. How she managed to uphold her anger for so long was a mystery to Zoro. „Last Thursday you went to work earlier than usual. To avoid complications like that again, I’m visiting you at random times from now on.“ Which meant he couldn’t even prepare himself for Nami’s rants anymore. Just great!</p><p> </p><p>„Don’t you have better things to do?“, Zoro questioned, because he could hardly believe that this thing that happened two months ago was important enough for Nami to change up her entire routine.</p><p> </p><p>„I would yell at Sanji, if he was the one that made a mistake. But unfortunately you’re the only one to blame here. So I’m blaming you, as I should!“</p><p> </p><p>And Zoro was barely withstanding the temptation to argue, that first of all, falling in love with Sanji wasn’t a mistake he made voluntarily and second of all, it was in the rules that anyone could end the relationship without having to give a reason. But arguing with Nami had never ended well for him. And according to past experiences it went worse the more aggravated she was. And Nami was very aggravated right now.</p><p> </p><p>„You mean there is something you haven’t said already in the past two months?“, Zoro asked instead, making his way past Nami to get on his way to work. Nami however, wasn’t even irritated by that and just fell into step next to him. And pulled him into the right direction for his bus stop, muttering about how useless Zoro’s was with directions.</p><p> </p><p>„There are a lot of things I haven’t said“, she insisted and Zoro did the usual thing of blocking her out, when it became apparent that she going into yet another rant. Hearing Nami blame him for basically everything that ever went wrong was always his favorite start into the day. How Vivi managed to handle Nami all the time was beyond Zoro. (It really wasn’t, it was the same way he handled all of Sanji’s shit. Because they were in love.)</p><p> </p><p>„Zoro!“, Nami screamed next to him and alerted the entire bus stop to their conversation. Luckily enough at this time in the morning, there were only five people there. Those five people however were going to get to show of their lives, if Nami’s annoyed expression was anything to go off. Zoro really hated his life, sometimes.</p><p> </p><p>„What, witch?“, he inquired, trying to keep his voice down. Too bad, Nami didn’t care about their audience.</p><p> </p><p>„You weren’t listening to a word I just said, were you?“</p><p> </p><p>„I tend not to listen, when you go into rants.“ That was the single worst thing he could have possibly said. He realized that too late. He should learn how to think, before he opened his mouth.</p><p> </p><p>„You wanna tell me, that I tried to fix your relationship with Sanji <em>for months</em> and you don’t even listen to me! You’re the worst“, Nami screeched, jabbing her finger into Zoro’s chest accusingly, looking like she was thinking about just ending him there and then.</p><p> </p><p>„There is no relationship to fix!“ He got mad now, too. Because Nami had the audacity to imply that she was doing something for Zoro, when all she did was annoying and harassing him. She might have his best interests at heart, but she had to know she was going too far.</p><p> </p><p>„There could be if you weren’t so damn - you!“ Using ‚you‘ as an insult was something only Nami could do this effectively. She always had a very special way of pissing Zoro off and right now she was doing everything in her might to get it done.</p><p> </p><p>„Goddammit Nami, get it trough your head. I don’t want a relationship. I want consistently good sex, some good conversation and someone to take the edge of life.“</p><p> </p><p>„You just described a relationship, dumbass!“And she had the nerve to look triumphantly like this single thing had won her the entire argument. It hadn’t, Zoro was willing to continue. Unfortunately his bus chose that exact moment to arrive, so instead of going all out, he had to be happy with just throwing another <em>I do not want a relationship</em> at her.</p><p> </p><p>„Yes, you do“, Nami sang and he would have loved to answer her, but the doors fell shut, giving Nami the last word. He already hated that day.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>When he got back home, he had way too many texts from Nami, all reading as some variation of <em>Call Sanji</em>. He ignored them all, opened himself a beer from his fridge instead and turned on the TV. Mostly for background noise, he hadn’t properly watched TV in years. But he couldn’t have the silence right now, because it got him thinking and thinking always eventually led to Sanji. Thinking about Sanji was bad.</p><p> </p><p>Because Sanji was way too great, really. And Zoro was a good-for-nothing.</p><p> </p><p>Sanji <em>was </em>great. Getting trough what he got through in his childhood and making it out okay wasn’t easy. Not only did he make it out okay, he somehow saw all the worst things the world could throw at a child and instead of turning resentful, bitter or hateful, he became kind. He was always first to help people, he fed even strangers when they needed it and he did it with a smile.</p><p> </p><p>And that was one kind of a smile. It lit up his whole face, without splitting it in two like Luffy’s tended to. It made Sanji really look like the sun. Sometimes, Zoro thought, he would be blinded if he looked for too long but at the same time he couldn’t seem to look away. Sanji was something to behold.</p><p> </p><p>Zoro’s smiles were never that bright, he always looked like he smirked. Arrogant, someone even described it as cold once. Nothing to behold, nothing that would be hard to turn away from. Just same old Zoro. Nothing special.</p><p> </p><p>Sanji also always managed to make himself useful, wherever he went. He brought food, or offered to cook, he helped to plan and execute events, kept an eye on everything going smoothly and then stayed afterwards to help clean up. He made the entire wedding cake for Robin’s wedding from scratch even refused to have her buy any ingredients. Zoro just showed up. Robin had actually seemed surprised that he wasn’t black-out drunk by nightfall.</p><p> </p><p>Sanji was always so meticulous about his work tools, his knives and pots and whatnots. (Zoro had said something vaguely bad about it once, and Sanji had never talked about it to him again.) He loved his job, did it with a passion he had ambitions. Zoro loved sword-fighting too and he would one day defeat the current champion, but it just wasn’t the same. Sanji wanted to feed people, Zoro wanted to be the very best swordsman. It was hard to compare those two.</p><p> </p><p>Also Sanji always took such good care of himself. Zoro knew Sanji smelt like ocean salt and smoke, a very unique combination that was entirely Sanji’s own. When he came fresh out of the shower, the smell of lemons lingered in his hair. It made Zoro go wild. There were no marks on his body - not even the stupid little scars everyone had - his skin was like porcelain despite his childhood. Zoro knew it was soft to the touch, with many firm, defined muscles despite Sanji’s lean figure. By far the best thing were Sanji’s hands tho. They were soft like the rest of his body and if Zoro concentrated he could still feel them ghosting over his body, mapping it out carefully. God he had loved Sanji’s gentle touch.</p><p> </p><p>In comparison, everything about Zoro was rough. He had more scars than he bothered to keep count of, both because he was constantly around swords and because he had been an especially stupid child. His skin wasn’t soft, he always had some bumps or bruises from training. His muscles were defined too, but they were big, making Zoro’s entire frame big. He was once described as intimidating. (That same person had described Sanji as friendly and approachable.)His hands definitely weren’t soft. They were rough, with many callouses, that came from holding swords regularly since he’d been ten. He even smelled like sweat, most of the time.</p><p> </p><p>He could see why someone - why Sanji - saw him as a good lay and nothing else.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Saturday morning, way too early on his free day, someone rang his doorbell. Very consistently. <em>Probably Nami, </em>Zoro thought and was still trying to get his sleepy brain to remember how to put the damn thing out, when said person started knocking on his door in addition to ringing the bell. So, no more sleep for him then.</p><p> </p><p>He opened the door forcefully, fully prepared to give Nami a real piece of his mind for harassing him this early on a Saturday. He wished he would’ve never left the bed, when he saw Sanji, instead on Nami. Even though Sanji seemed about as angry as Nami usually was, not that that was of any help for Zoro.</p><p> </p><p>„You’re an Asshole“, Sanji snapped at him, storming by him, to let himself into Zoro’s apartment. Zoro looked after him, helpless to do much else.</p><p> </p><p>„You are the absolute worst!“, Sanji roared again, standing in the middle of Zoro’s living room. Zoro slowly closed his door and made his way towards Sanji.</p><p> </p><p>„You want something to drink?“, he asked instead of reacting to Sanji’s accusations. Big mistake.</p><p> </p><p>„The audacity! You avoid me <em>for months</em> and you don’t think you owe me an explanation!“</p><p> </p><p>„I don’t?“, Zoro had wanted to state, but it came out more like a question. It riled Sanji up regardless.</p><p> </p><p>„Do you know how long we’ve been doing this for? A year, Zoro. I sacrificed a whole goddamn year of my time and you decide to waste it without giving me a reason for that. I don’t even care if its a good reason anymore, but you owe me some kind of explanation.“</p><p> </p><p>„The rules - <em>your </em>rules, said I don’t. We don’t owe each other shit“, he reminded Sanji, because honestly, Sanji could be mad about Zoro’s abrupt leave and blocking him and everything else if he wanted. But he didn’t get to be mad about Zoro sticking to the damn rules, like he insisted for weeks.</p><p> </p><p>„Who even cares about rules at this stage? You wanna tell me you obeyed all the others?“</p><p> </p><p>„I did“, Zoro lied easily, because lying about his feelings for Sanji was something he’d done for ages.It came naturally by now. Sanji however seemed shocked into silence, before his face fell and he lost the tension in his shoulders. He just seemed to fall into himself. Like the only thing holding him upright was anger and now that it was gone, he threatened to just fall over.</p><p> </p><p>„There is someone else, right?“ No there wasn’t. There never has been and at this rate there never will be. But Zoro didn’t know how to express that, so he stayed silent. Sanji drew his own conclusion from that.</p><p> </p><p>„I’m sorry for bothering you then.“ And with that Sanji vanished again, out of the apartment and out of Zoro’s life.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>Nami came to visit him with a furiousity, Zoro had seen way too often in the past months. She abandoned it completely, when he opened the door with watery eyes.</p><p> </p><ul>

</ul><p> </p><p>„You need to talk with Sanji“, she said a few days later over coffee, „really talk. Not one of you dominating the conversation and the other barely getting a word in.“</p><p> </p><p>„What makes you think he’ll talk to me again?“, Zoro asked, skeptical, stirring his coffee for the tenth time now.</p><p> </p><p>„Leave it to me“, Nami offered, being more helpful, now that she abandoned the idea of screaming at him for everything he did and didn’t do. „I know how to get him to you. You just make sure you know what to say, when he’s there.“</p><p> </p><p>So, Zoro got the hard part again.</p><p> </p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>„To be absolutely clear, I’m only here because Nami insisted I came“, Sanji said, instead of a greeting or maybe it was supposed to be his form of a greeting. Zoro’s nerves were way too tense, to focus on what Sanji might or might not mean. He just wanted to get this over with.</p><p> </p><p>„I want to talk to you. Really talk. And if you still want to hate me afterwards, you may“, Zoro answered without bothering to respond to anything Sanji said before. He just needed to keep focus on his goal here, and then everything would be alright. (Or it wouldn’t but he would have tried and that was all that counted.)</p><p> </p><p>„First, I am sorry for running that night. I should have listened to you. You wanna tell me what you wanted to tell me back then?“</p><p> </p><p>„It doesn’t matter anymore“, Sanji spat, looking defiantly at Zoro and crossing his arms in front of his chest. Great, Zoro thought, this was already a less than ideal start.</p><p> </p><p>„Okay, second. I didn’t end this thing, because there was someone else. There wasn’t, never has been. I had a good reason to end our arrangement but that wasn’t it.“</p><p> </p><p>„I’m supposed to believe that?“, Sanji asked incredulous, giving Zoro a look that told him just how ridiculous Sanji thought he was right now. Why could the guy just not take things at face value?</p><p> </p><p>„I am in love with someone“, Zoro admitted, for the sake of keeping Sanji there until he was finished, „but it wouldn’t lead to anything, anyway. So there is really no reason to end everything just because of that.“</p><p> </p><p>„You’ve tried telling them?“, Sanji implored and really Zoro hated that Sanji decided to focus on this and not on the more important matter. What did Sanji care if Zoro was in love, and if it was unrequited?</p><p> </p><p>„No, I didn’t. Didn’t have to. He’s some really great guy, who deserves the world and I’m just -.“ He gestured vaguely at himself, hoping Sanji would understand what he tried to tell him. Sanji raised an eyebrow at that explanation, but stayed quiet otherwise.</p><p> </p><p>„Anything else?“, Sanji asked impatient and Zoro tried to cram his head for something, anything to say. The only thing remaining was to tell Sanji about his feelings. At least that was the only thing that would probably get Sanji to stay and listen a little longer. Or it would drive him away permanently. This could go two ways, really.</p><p> </p><p>Apparently, his decision took to long, so Sanji decided to speak instead: „Figures. Here’s the verdict: I hate you.“ And with that he turned his back towards Zoro, making his way back to the door, and Zoro knew he had lost him forever. There was no going back to what they were before.</p><p> </p><p>„I know, but I love you and I can’t stop it no matter how hard I try“, Zoro said, because this whole thing was going up in flames anyway, so he might as well make sure nothing but ashes remained. Maybe it made a new start easier, if he knew none of the old things were save-able. And if Sanji wanted to vanish from his life for good, he should at least know the truth.</p><p> </p><p>„This whole friends with benefits thing was doomed from start. I broke rule 1 before you even put it in place. I’m sorry for pulling you into this.“</p><p> </p><p>„Not your fault. I let myself be pulled“, Sanji answered getting close to Zoro again before continuing, „maybe rule 1 was the most useless out of the bunch. You never obeyed it, and I failed it after barely a month, too. The only thing it managed to do, was tear us apart in the end.“</p><p> </p><p>There was so much there to take in, things that would have to be discussed, but Zoro didn’t care. Because Sanji’s lips were on his again, finally, and his tongue did explore Zoro’s mouth like it was the first time again. He did this thing, were he pulled Zoro’s lower lip between his teeth and then bit lightly and Zoro was in heaven. He wanted to see Sanji naked again, he needed Sanji everywhere around him and on top of him, and he never ever wanted Sanji to leave again.</p><p> </p><p>Sanji seemed to have the same things in mind</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Please don’t ask me why the second chapter is twice as long as the first one was, I have no idea. It’s like it developed his own will, somewhere along the line. I hope you like it anyway, and that you’re okay with the conclusion. I thought about making it just sad, but I can’t help it. I’m a sucker for happy endings. </p><p>Tanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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